128 women and 128 men and about a few 100 million of their followers are eagerly waiting for the Australian Open 2014 draw!
As Sportz Cosmos brings you the live updates, please check the comments section for the highlights of the draw as it unfolds 🙂
SportzCosmos 
Boris Becker at the draw 🙂
Djokovic and Azarenka are the defending champs – Djokovic is 3-time defending and Azarenka is 2-time defending! 🙂
My pre-draw gut feeling is that both will not defend…. Rafa and Serena are my pre-draw picks!
What exactly is a pre-draw pick?
Djokovic definitely has a better draw than Nadal does, though.
Nadal’s –
round 1: Tomic
round 3: Monfils
round 4: Hewitt (though he might well not make it that far)
quarter-final: Del Potro
semi-final: Murray (though he also might well not make it that far)
That’s a really tough draw.
Rafa really got a rough draw, but I thought the same in SW19 and USO 2013 and each went in different directions!
I might actually go with the cliched “Draw is only on paper” statement, Will be fun to see how the draw unfolds 🙂
He should still make the final, and it could clear up for him. For example, although he’d beat Hewitt, it could be a tough match, especially given the crowd, but Nishikori might well beat Hewitt, and Nishikori would be an easy 4th round match. Del Potro might actually beat Nadal, but he also might lose to Raonic, and Raonic would be an easy quarter-final for Nadal.
I would think so too, but like at the USO, but roles reversed, Novak might come in fresher of the two 🙂
Azarenka and Novak are delayed 😦 not a good start for them already? 😀
Women’s Projected Quarterfinals:
Serena vs Errani
Na Li vs Kvitova
Jankovic vs Sharapova 🙂
Azarenka vs Radwanska in the bottom quarter 🙂
Projected round of 16: Ivanovic vs Serena!
Azarenka and Sloane stephens #meow!
Radwanska vs Wozniacki in Round of 16! that will be a beauty should it happen!
Come on! It would be an absolute snoozefest.
Navarro-Sharapova!
Na Li -Lisicki and Kvitova-Kerber in R16 could be absolute rippers!
Men’s draw now!
OMG! Nadal opens against Tomic! what a super match for all except Nadal fans!
Incredible!!!
Tomic fans might be even more annoyed!
Murray in Rafa’s half, Ferrer in Novak’s!
Delpotro in Rafa’s quarter!
Brutal draw for Rafa and Federer both. Federer has to beat Murray, Rafa, Djoker to win!?
Federer in Murray’s! Nole-Wawrinka and Ferrer-Berdych 🙂
Potential 4th rounds: Nadal-Nishikori [or Hewitt], roanic-delpotro, murray-isner and Tsonga-federer!
Top half is loaded! Safe to say Rafa got the toughest draw!
Bottom half Nole- fognini [gulbis]
Berdych-Haas, Ferrer-youzhny and Wawrinka-Gasquet! are the other R16s 🙂 the one-handed half really 🙂
If Youzhny has recovered from his injury, I think I fancy him for a semi-final slot. Breaking ground in a Grand Slam at 31 isn’t easy, but I think he can do it.
Totally, How awesome will a haas-youzhny quarter be? 🙂
It would be fun, but I wouldn’t bet on Haas getting past Berdych at all. In fact, I am verging on saying he won’t get past Roger-Vasselin in round 2.
To be honest, I’d expect Haas to drop out of the top 20 this year, unfortunately. Even Agassi declined a great deal in the year he turned 36 (and both are born in April).
I can totally understand where you are coming from but Haas doesn’t nearly have the miles Agassi had at that age, did he? I am thinking Haas will start strong, may be decline will set in mid-season!
@Rajk:
pre-draw pick = your pick before the draw is made 🙂 I might go with Nole now! Will still stick with Serena!
@Toby: LOL! that’s true, but are there many Tomic fans around? after that father incident, he might have even lost the few fans he had 😀
As for Aggie vs Caro, Aggie has got a lot of variety and both are not much reliant on power 🙂
Wozza’s one of the less entertaining players on tour, though, and I think Radwanska more fun to watch against someone making more of the play, not less.
I’m sure Tomic has a lot of fans in Australia! Do you think he’ll win a set against Nadal? I think he might well do so, especially if it’s the evening match.
@Toby:
Tomic surely has a lot of fans in Aus, I am positive he will win a set, unless 2010 Rafa or 2013USO Rafa turns up. Surely this will be a night match, no? 🙂
Caro-Aggie – you do make a good case 🙂
Haas hasn’t played as many matches, although he has played over 850, but he has been around almost as long as Agassi had. In 1997, he made the semis of Hamburg, just a month after his 19th birthday. I suppose he had even more time off than Agassi, but the crucial factor will be whether he stays injury-free. Agassi could have done much better in 2006 than he did but for injuries. Put it this way: his last ever career victory was against the world #8!
Tomic can win a set, but that is about it.
Awesome comments, I missed the fun damn the time zones! I think it would be straight set win for Nadal. What do you think would be the greatest upset? Kohlschreiber upsetting Isner?:)